Bond Secret File #4 - Thunderball

Introduction: 10/10
Thunderball has the best introduction in a Bond film so far. The introduction sets up the film and actually leads into the main plot, showing Bond taking out a member of SPECTRE. The introduction also provides something new that becomes an instant classic in the series, that is the jet pack sequence. All this leads into the classic Bond silhouette title sequence which sticks very well to the underwater theme of the film.

Theme Song: 9/10
The title song is performed by Tom Jones as always the songs are great introductions to the films, Thunderball is one of my favorites.

He always runs while others walk. He acts while other men just talk. He looks at this world, and wants it all, so he strikes, like Thunderball.

He knows the meaning of success. His needs are more, so he gives less. They call him the winner who takes all, and he strikes, like Thunderball.

Any woman he wants, he'll get. He will break any heart without regret. His days of asking are all gone. His fight goes on and on and on.

But he thinks that the fight is worth it all, so he strikes like Thunderball.

Bond: 10/10
One strange thing that stood out in this film was that Sean Connery almost looked younger in this installment than he has in the previous entries, maybe he had on a different toupee in this film, yes Connery was actually bald when he was James Bond. Performance wise he's better than ever, what else is there to say!?!

Main Bond Girl:

Dominique Derval aka "Domino": 9/10
Domino was the mistress of Largo yet she refers to him in the film as her guardian. It is a love-starved relationship and more of a prison for Domino than she realizes. Domino was played by Claudine Auger who was Miss France in 1958; it’s interesting to know that Claudine's voice was dubbed in the film by Monica van der Syl, the same person who dubbed the voice of Honey Rider in the first Bond film, Dr. No. Overall Domino is one of the better Bond girls but really seems to have more in common with Honey Rider than just the voice. Personality wise they are almost the same character, beautiful, yet very naive to a point that they come across as a little ditzy.

The Villains:

Emilio Largo: 9/10 Emilio Largo is SPECTRE agent number 2. This is the third film that the main villain is a member of this terrorist organization and with each installment we are given a little closer look into the organization and the mysterious man with the cat, which surely was the inspiration for the Austin Powers series and Dr. Evil's "kitty kat". What I liked most about Largo was his menacing appearance, he actually looked very villainous, much more than the past villains, yet he like Domino seemed to resemble another previous character, Auric Goldfinger.

Fiona Volpe: 10/10
If I had to choose the better villain in the film it would have to be Fiona Volpe, not only is she drop dead gorgeous but deadly as well. Compared to Largo, Volpe is much more cut throat and likes to "enjoy" her victim before she ultimately kills them, much like a black widow spider. Played by Luciana Paluzzi, she originally auditioned for the role of Domino, which would have been interesting to see, but she did a great job as a villain and I'd have to say one the hottest women out of the first four Bond films.

Total Rating: 9.5/10
Overall (Including Film Rating): 9.8/10

10/10